For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt. Hebrews 6:4-6 HCSB
There is a family in our church that is in the process of adopting four children. Once the adoption is finalized, the children will take on the last name of the adopting family and become part of their forever family. Nothing they say or do can ever cause them to stop being a member of this loving family.
Many people use these verses to teach that people can lose their salvation. Others teach that one cannot lose salvation. Salvation is not dependent upon what we do or do not do; it is dependent upon what God does. We must believe in Jesus Christ, but it is God who must save us. We can never be good enough to save ourselves. When we choose Jesus as Lord, God chooses us as one of His children and we are adopted into His forever family.
There are many Scriptures that affirm the security of the believer; meaning that once a person is genuinely saved, he cannot lose his salvation. Once God has accepted you as one of His children, you are part of His family and you can be assured that nothing will cause you to lose that position in His family (see John 10:27-29 and Romans 8:28-39). The Greek term for “have fallen away” can be translated “have turned aside” or “have wandered away” or “have deviated from the right path”. Since these verses follow verses about growing and becoming mature, it is more likely that the writer is talking about someone who is a believer but refuses to do what is needed to grow and become more like Jesus or possibly those who have never given any evidence in their behavior that there was a genuine conversion.
Challenge: Thank God that you can be assured without a doubt that as a believer, you have eternal life and will someday live in heaven with Jesus. Be assured you can never lose your salvation.